The present invention is directed to a surveillance system, particularly, a vehicle mounted surveillance system including a camera and video recorder for use by law enforcement personnel to videotape stops for routine traffic violations.
In law enforcement, the routine traffic stop can be deceptively safe or one of the most dangerous situations encountered by law enforcement personnel. This is particularly true where the motorist is stopped in a relatively isolated area by a lone police officer. In such situations, the police officer is vulnerable to attack. Police officers in such circumstances have been verbally abused, attacked and in some instances killed. Since typically there are no witnesses to such attacks, it is difficult to determine what actually happened. Often times, if the attack on the police officer is fatal, the case remains unsolved for lack of witnesses or other clues. The vehicle mounted surveillance system of the present invention will provide a deterrent to such abuse or attacks on police officers.
The surveillance system of the present disclosure provides an audio and video record of the traffic stop. Such a record will help deter crime and aid in the apprehension of criminals. The surveillance system of the present disclosure provides an audio and visual record which may be used for investigation and trial. It is particularly helpful in the driving while intoxicated cases. In such situations, the police officer controllably videotapes the driver weaving in and out of traffic and also videotapes roadside sobriety tests which may be used at the time of trial.
The surveillance system of the present disclosure may also provide important evidence in the event a police officer is accused of civil rights violations, abuse or wrongful arrest. The videotape recordings are also useful training aids which may be used to teach police academy trainees proper police procedure in dealing with the public. It is understood, however, that the use of the surveillance system of the present disclosure is not limited to police surveillance. The surveillance system may be used in any type of public or private transportation. For example, the surveillance system may be mounted in a bus so that recordings may be made at each stop or at locations along the bus route where trouble may occur.